By Lulu

There is NOBODY doing Old School Motorcycle events like Howlin Wolf! Burnouts to cheering crowds until tires turn to fire! Wienie Bites! Plank Rides, Slow Rides, Keg Rolls…bikes losing control! That is just good old fashioned biker fun! Add a bike show with sweet rides, vendors, tattooing on site, food, beer & booze, and girls gone wild! I am telling you guys it is worth the beautiful ride to Putnam Hall for an afternoon of stepping back 15 years in time. I always see old friends and meet new ones here. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the band, which this year was Twisted Fate rocking the day away. This event is spring and fall so come out and join the party! More photos of the winners of all the events on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook under Albums.

By Lulu

We LOVE this yearly event! 100 vendors, rodeo games, stunt shows, Universal Championship Wrestling, food court, bike show and 3 days of non-stop music! This happens in Sarasota at the fairgrounds. It ends up being more like a music fest than a rally. But they include a Ride So Children Can Thrive on Sunday, so you do get some time in your saddle! This is a huge fundraiser, so you spend a LITTLE to hear GREAT bands! This year the headliners were Blue Oyster Cult, Grand Funk Railroad and Creed Fisher. In 2024 the festival pretty much ended up a rain out and Grand Funk wasn’t even able to take the stage. When I heard them this year, I was totally bummed out that the rain God’s made me miss them in 2024. They put on an amazing show. But honestly, ALL the music was excellent. Along with the small gate fee, there is also a VIP tent with a well-organized 3-night affair, which includes meals catered by Sonny’s BBQ and free drinks to entice you into bidding on too many to mention silent raffle items. The VIP is well worth your ticket as it also gets you shade and seating, and VIP in front of the stage. All this feeds the kitty, Suncoast Charities for Children. This organization helps fund critical programs and services for children, teens, and adults with special needs. This year’s total was $240,000 and in the past 27 years they have raised an amazing 3 million dollars!!! Lucy Nicandri would like to acknowledge the key sponsors Precision Garage Door Service, FCCI Insurance Group, James D. & Ellen White Family Foundation, Budweiser, and Sonny’s BBQ, and also thank all the sponsors and volunteers who made this a huge success. Thank you, Lucy, and your team of volunteers for your great efforts. Next year’s dates are February 13-15th! Join us there!!

By Lulu

Everyone who knows anything about motorcycle bike shows has been to Chopper Time at Tropical Tattoo for Daytona Bike Week in the spring, and Biketoberfest in the fall. Sometimes you can barely squeeze between the bikes to get a photo, and it is almost impossible to find someone in the crowd! 2025 spring event was that situation on steroids! PACKED like sardines! The band, Fat Cactus, was playing in a packed yard. Mike Jones and his posse spent the day helping to raise funds with his gun raffle for the Veteran’s Coalition that Willie helps support with the beer and alcohol profits, including the bartenders’ tips!!! Following is an article that one of our ad clients and one of Chopper Time’s sponsors wrote about Willie and what an amazing man he is! This year the sponsors included Rue & Ziffra law firm, Twisted Tea, Cycle Source Magazine, I Love BadVentures, Only Choppers, Morris Magneto, Hogridin, Spectro Oil, S & S, OB’s, Hardcore Cycles, Broken Spoke, Bling Cycles, Joker Cycle Works, EMC Shocks, A OK Guns, Dustin’s BBQ, Veteran’s Support Fund, Jessica Macy, Rider Now, Realty Pros, Iron Horse Saloon, Renegade Cycles, Guerrilla Fabrication, FNA, A1 Cycles, and Cochise Chops. Thanks to all who help make this an amazing day of bikes, booze, tattoos and helping our local veterans! Photos of the day and all the winners pics are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook, please like and share!!

By Lulu

Historic downtown Deland is a bustling college bar/restaurant and quaint shopping scene, but the first Saturday of March it was a motorcycle mecca. Bikes everywhere. Vendors, bands, bars, and great restaurants made this a destination ride. We managed to spend some time at Issues and Da Vinci’s where Crashrocket was entertaining the huge crowd in the courtyard. This rally is always early March and a wonderful way to spend a day of riding and partying with friends!

So many amazing things happened this spring all due to the incredible generosity of the biking community. During Bike Week, Iron Horse Saloon and Broken Spoke auctioned off guitars for the Veteran’s Coalition for a total of $40,741 and St. Jude for a total of $38,148. Iron Horse threw their 3^rd Saddle up for St. Jude Poker Run in April and raised $48,917 more. Chopper Time at Tropical Tattoo gives the days alcohol sales to the local vets! A bike shop up in Deland, Sledz East, threw a poker run for the parents of a boy killed in his neighborhood by dogs and raised a bundle. Thunder by The Bay Music & Motorcycle Festival raised $240,000 for Suncoast Charity for Children. There were also poker runs and benefits all over the state of Florida every weekend. I know I have said this before, but it needs to be repeated. I was a president of Rotary back in my life before motorcycles. A Rotary Club has 4 avenues of service and does fundraising to help individuals, their city, the country, and the world. Most members are rather affluent, so donations should be easy to give, and I am not taking away from the work Rotarians do. As a 2-time Paul Harris Fellow I was honored to be involved with them. BUT it takes a special kind of “people” to take their free time almost every weekend to either work to put on charity rides and benefits, donate to the cause, or take their last $10 bucks and their only day off to ride for a person they don’t even know that is in need. AND THAT IS BIKERS!! Thank you for sharing your world with me. I could name many who are earning their real wings to heaven, but I want to mention one true Angel on Earth, my best friend Sherry Fletcher. She works tirelessly on her events. She organizes them, she makes baskets or donations to all kinds of events, she drives friends to doctor visits, and she houses people in her own home if needed. Thank you to all who live the biker life…don’t stop doing what you are doing! You make a difference. Saddle up for a charity event soon, buy a stranger a Twisted Tea and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Jeani G.

Bike Week wouldn’t be complete without hitting the saddle to ride to the World-Famous Iron Horse Saloon for a roundup of fun and great music. Lots of bike parking out front and in the corral beneath the deck with plenty of space to kick back, grab a cold one and enjoy people and motorcycle watching with your friends or make some new friends!

Always popular are the Iron Horse event T-shirts and delicious mouth-watering Craiger’s steak tips. Enjoy your favorite beer or cocktail served up by friendly bartenders, relax with a Chrome cigar, and shop for biker accessories at the variety of cool vendors – custom lighting, jackets, helmets, bandanas, waterless bike wash, jewelry, food, and lots more. Maybe it’s time to get yourself some new ink onsite at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo … and don’t forget to experience the thrill and speed of the Wall of Death to round out your Bike Week adventure!

Beautiful Lisa emceed this year’s fantastic entertainment lineup including Parmalee, Eddie Montgomery, Creed Fisher, Saliva, and Whey Jennings. Other bands rocking the non-stop party were Bobby Friss, Cowboy, Buckshot, Jess Zimmerman, Highway to Hell, Dirty Grass Soul, Loose Lips, Moonshine Bandits, Are Friends Electric, Gun Shy, JB Walker and more! The headliners signed guitars which were auctioned off pre-show (Whey Jennings also autographed a really cool denim jacket, while Eddie Montgomery signed one of his hats) with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Veterans Support Fund.

Owners of the Iron Horse Saloon, Sally, Melissa, and Bob always throw a great Bike Week bash and this bar is very involved in the community sponsoring amazing charitable events, poker runs and corn hole tournaments all year long! Be sure to pay them a visit and tell ‘em Thunder Roads Florida sent ya! Happy trails!

By Jeani G.

WOW … so much fun and excitement at the Broken Spoke Saloon during Bike Week, it’s hard to choose where to begin. The beautiful venue under a canopy of magnificent oak trees was packed everyday with motorcycle and car enthusiasts, music lovers and people watchers alike, enjoying the great weather and sunshine.

Amazing bike shows brought lots of eye candy for motorcycle lovers to enjoy. New to the Spoke this year, Kory Souza Originals No-Class Bike Show was a big hit with a fun variety of bikes. Warren Lane’s True Grit Show brought out some of the coolest antique, custom, and vintage bikes. The awesome Cycle Source Custom Bike Show awarded prizes in 28 classes, while fan-favorite Perewitz Custom Paint Show gave us a myriad of gorgeous bikes to drool over. Dennis Kirk’s Garage Build Amateur Bike Show showcased some unique home-wrenched rides. So many amazing and beautiful bikes surely made judging a hard task!

Jay Allen, creator of the Broken Spoke and racer in the 200-mph club, emceed the events all week long. Beautiful women graced the stage in the Twisted Tea Bikini Contest, and Bill Grotto revealed this year’s Twisted Tea Sweepstakes Bike built by Chris of Cycle Source. And for you car lovers, Bad Ass Car Club presented a Vintage Car Display on the final day of the event.

Southern Country Customs brought several of their beautiful high-end super custom bikes to sell. Adding their flair of NASCAR know-how to their builds, Rusty and Stephen Wallace were on site all week to chat with and are always happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

Beautiful bartenders and hard-working bar backs quenched the huge crowd’s thirst to the beat of great live music around the clock. Bands included Bobby Friss, Cowboy, Whiskey Heart, Buck Shot, Loose Lips, Dirty Grass Soul, Whiskey Heart, Papa Wheelie, Jess Zimmerman, Are Friends Electric, to name a few. And of course, world famous Hairball rocked the stage 6 nights with their awesome 80’s rock-n-roll party! Patriotic and charitable, Hairball honored veterans bringing them onstage to thank them for their service and the band autographed guitars which were auctioned off to benefit both the Veterans Support Fund and St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital!

Lots more pictures of this year’s event can be found in albums on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook page. Hope to see y’all back at the Broken Spoke in October for Biketoberfest!

By Lulu

Always a reason to celebrate at The Boat Bar in Port Orange. Hell, it is the home of the $2.50 longnecks all day…everyday! You just don’t find that anywhere else! Now add to that Old School Banditz playing their hearts out for you, free food and a 50/50 suddenly it is a REAL party, kicking off the Daytona Bike Week! The owners Tony and Dar go to so much trouble all year long for the patrons they call friends. You just have to love this bar. Oh, and don’t forget the monthly mystery ride they host! Join in the fun and tell them you saw this in Thunder Roads Florida Magazine.

By Lulu

The last Friday night of Bike Week each year is an event that if you haven’t seen it, you MUST! The huge wooden bike complete with a frightening looking rider stands tall in an open field. Visitors are allowed to sign the bike before the lighting of the bike which happens well after dark. If you haven’t been, let me warn you, GET THERE EARLY! Traffic is backed up to get on the Volusia County Fairgrounds for this. Don’t fret though, there is plenty to entertain you while you wait. Always a great band, and beautiful girls for the Miss Burning Bike Contest keeps us all amused. There are vendors and bars, stunt shows and fire performers. And then the grand finale lighting of the bike. Put this on Bike Week 2026 not to miss list. More photos of the night are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook. Please like and share!

By Lulu

The past couple years I have worked with Erik on the antique bike show and swap meet that he has been a part of. This year the name of the event and the venue has been revamped. “The Meet” was held at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, with a huge piece of property for the swap meet, food vendors and an inside building for the antique bike show. Lots of peeps were checking for the parts they need for their old scoots, and the two times I was on the property it was busy. This venue is also part of the Fastlane Campground’s 10-day event that ends with the Burning Bike, so I think this really works! “The Meet” brought people out who may never have seen the bike being constructed, and people coming to see the bike got to be introduced to an old school swap meet and antique bikes!